All news and blogs

Breeding’s African food security contribution is a numbers game: EiB at APBA

EiB news | Misha Nicholas | 4/11/2021

Photo Credit: IRRI. CGIAR Excellence in Breeding (EiB) informatics lead Young Wha Lee understands that breeding "has always been — and still is — a numbers game." Lee and her EiB colleagues recently...

National breeding institutes deliver initial program costing at in-person training course

EiB news | Adam Hunt | 6/10/2021

  NARES course participants cost out aspects of their program using the UQ costing tool.  A new costing tool is helping national breeding programs get the...

Access to genetic analysis accelerates banana breeding in East Africa

Impact | Sam Storr | 30/9/2021

This story is also available in Amharic: View it here.Research at the Musa sp. nursery at IITA-Kampala (Brigitte Uwimama). Banana producers face many pests and diseases that affect their crop, such as Panama disease caused by soil fungi,...

How can I optimize my breeding scheme?

Tool release | Sam Storr | 1/9/2021

The basic science underlying the process of genetic improvement in crops is now well-understood, if not widely applied. EiB applies these quantitative principles to develop practical advice and guides to help breeders optimize their programs.The goal of breeding scheme optimization is to...

Data from new Excellence in Breeding report reveals progress on CGIAR’s transformation

EiB news | Adam Hunt | 5/7/2021

A new compilation of data reveals real progress on CGIAR’s crop breeding transformation agenda. CGIAR Excellence in Breeding (EiB)’s first-ever Annual Report focuses on 27 data points showing...

Computer simulations are helping CGIAR breeders develop better varieties faster

Impact | Sam Storr | 28/6/2021

In the past, plant breeding has helped avert entire famines by changing a handful of genes in key crop varieties. But today's breeders must meet similar challenges with consistent excellence, making the right decisions...

New platform harnesses data – and unleashes breeders’ time

EiB news | Adam Hunt | 22/6/2021

 A bold new data management platform, the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS), is helping breeders harness the power of data, save time, and make the best breeding decisions. EiB has just released a faster, more feature-filled version.Crop...

African breeding programs leap forward by accessing new genotyping data

Impact | Adam Hunt | 9/6/2021

With newly accessible genotyping technologies, African crop breeding programs have partnered with EiB to start using genotyping resources to improve accuracy and efficiency.As breeders strive for higher-yielding, climate-resilient and...

Advances in breeding operations can help deliver vital varieties to smallholder farmers

EiB news | Adam Hunt | 3/6/2021

Public breeding operations teams serving lower income countries need to upgrade their skills and tools, optimize their programs, and deliver better varieties, faster. CGIAR’s new Breeding Operations Network...

New genotyping services launched across CGIAR and partners

EiB news | Adam Hunt | 14/4/2021

CGIAR Excellence in Breeding has launched new low-cost, high throughput genotyping services, positioning CGIAR and national breeding programs to take a leap forward in delivering vital crop varieties.The Low Density SNP Genotyping Services (LDSG) provide...